As the flowers begin to bloom and freshman prospies arrive on campus, it becomes ever clearer that my final semester is coming to an end. I used to laugh at people who said senior year would fly by… but suddenly, here I am, a month away.

For the final few weeks of the academic year, FYI is going to add a bit more personal flare from each of its writers, allowing us to ramble, laugh, rant, and yes, reflect. Two of the blog’s writers are staring graduation in the face… so expect some posts that are excited and others a bit sad.

Instead of talking about my own experiences in this post, I want to leave you all with a video that orientation has been playing at closing ceremonies for some time. Although most incoming students don’t immediately grasp all the witty jokes and brilliant metaphors, those of us who have spent some time on campus can really relate.

So I, like many of you it would seem, have a Tumblr. I scroll through that site for hours, looking at the random stuff that comes across my ‘dash.’

Anyway, the other day I decided, being a devoted Boston University Terrier who is, ya know, obsessed with all things BU, to poke my head into the “Boston University” tag on Tumblr.

(For those of you un-versed in the world of Tumblr, a tag is a way to track a specific thing that people are posting about – like a #hashtag on Twitter.) The BU tag was blowing up! So many new Terriers were poking their heads in to express the same excitement I remember feeling when I got my acceptance in my inbox four years ago. (For the record, when I found out I was in, it was 12:15am. I screamed, almost threw my best friend’s little sister’s laptop into the wall, and then called my mother and woke her up. So, yeah. ‘Excitement’ is the word I’ll go with.) There were also a ton of posts from current Terriers, offering advice or congratulations, or an open ear to their newest schoolmates. It was great! So, we here at BU FYI thought we’d take some time to highlight just a few of those people and answer questions, or offer our own congratulations. Let’s go to the board:

CONGRATS AND WELCOME! We’re pumped that you’re pumped! Welcome to the Terrier community. If you want more information about financial aid, you should take a glance at the Financial Assistance website.

If you’re a freshman, the University prefers that you live in dormitory style housing, which would include a meal plan. However, the good news is that there are TONS of different options when it comes to choosing a meal plan that best suits you and your appetite! You can find out more about that right here. Oh, and South Campus is – in my personal opinion – fantastic. But, I also loved living in a large style dorm as a freshman. I thought it was a great way to meet people. However, some people do prefer South, and I know plenty of people who lived there during their freshmen years and still made plenty of friends. It all comes down to personal preference, like a chocolate vs. vanilla type thing.

I gotta say, that is definitely a good-looking acceptance package. Admissions out-did themselves again this year, as usual. I’ve still got my acceptance letter framed at my parent’s house. Welcome to BU!

Also, this blog post is going to serve as our official introduction to the newest member of our BU FYI social media family: the official BU FYI Tumblr! Go check us out. Love us. Follow us! Throw things in our ask box! Love usssss.

Trying to snag a nice job? Want to keep in touch with the professionals you meet and enhance your social networking? If you are, I’m guessing you have a LinkedIn profile (merp… I see some blank stares…) but are you getting the most out of it?

Whether you’re struggling to optimize your LinkedIn profile or have been meaning to get one started, the “How to use LinkedIn” presentation happening next week is a must-attend event for you. Presented by Fidelity, the program is designed to help you understand what you’re capable of accomplishing through a LinkedIn page.

So, everyone, mark your calendar for next Thursday, March 29th, from 1-2pm at the CCD (19 Deerfield St. 3rd floor). Click HERE for more details.

Things that are great about Boston in the spring: the esplanade, the BU beach, and Scoozi’s patio. If you haven’t had a chance to join one of the former, meet up tonight at Scoozi in Kenmore Square to check in with foursquare! Ray, a rep from NYC, is stopping by to meet up with student users at 6:30. And for a little more incentive, with Ray comes swag.

So while you’re checking in at the Citgo Sign on your way to earning the new Beantown foursquare badge, drop by Scoozi to check in and meet up, all the while grabbing some sweet swag (and sangria – hey, it’s the season).

Welcome back from break. Hope you had a great time, whether you went across the country on your own, stuck around here, or took off on an ASB trip! (I, personally, went to Kansas to see a friend, which was great, and then headed home to my parents’ house for three days with a 102.6 fever. Less fun.)

As the warm weather really starts to heat up around here (yes, pun intended) I know I hit the BU beach today. (I bet a lot of you did, too!) So, with that in mind, here’s some BU Beach trivia for you:

Scientific Fact: this is emptiest the hill on the Beach has ever been. Ever.

– The Beach is so-called because people (who I am going to assume never lived near an ocean) thought the sounds of the unseen cars zooming by on Storrow Drive sounded like, uh, waves. At least, this is the story I was given on my Admissions tour here, way back in the simpler days of 2007.

– Money for the green space that is the Beach was generously donated in 1974 by Warren Alpert, a 1942 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts, which is now known as CAS.

– Alpert lent his name to the Beach. It’s official name is the Warren Alpert Mall. (Impress your friends!)

– Because of this, some people call the Beach the WAM. (I personally hope it catches on.)

I like to imagine this photo being taken by a modern-day Ahab...looks like he's found his whale. (If that's what it is...?)

So the next time you head out to lounge in the sun, impress your friend (or that cute sunbather) and spread some BU trivia. Happy ray-catching!

I know you’re all itching for spring break and the thought of one more miserable day is killing you, so why not start the celebration a little early? Go out tonight, let loose, and relax.

No plans, though?

Meet me at BU Central tonight for some goold ol’ A Capella. From 9-10, Chordially Yours and the Treblemakers will be breaking things down with some sweet covers and killer vocals, and if you’re like me, you’ll sit there wondering why your voice doesn’t work that way.

Can you believe it’s almost Spring Break? With midterms winding down and warm weather fast approaching, it’s time to revisit some of our favorite Boston spots. Check out this foursquare list we made! Have more ideas? Tweet us @BU_FYI with your suggestions!

So I’ve been waiting all winter for snow, and we don’t get it, and then when I’m finally over hoping and wishing, it snows. OY. Give me that springtime sunshine, Boston! With my luck, it’s going to blizzard on my birthday—and my birthday is in June.

What’s worse, through all this crappy weather we’re enduring midterm exams… Don’t you wish it was break?

Oh, Rhett, you goofball...

Well, as you “study” (aka plan out what you’re doing on vacation), why don’t you hit us with your favorite study playlists? I’m currently in the middle of rearranging mine and will be commenting on the post later with my favorite synapse-sparking beats. Or… if you want, give us the tunes you’ll be enjoying on break. Whichever you prefer.

Come on, BU. We like hearing from you, so here’s a chance to interact with us. Get on iTunes, Spotify, or whatever it is you use, and send us your playlists. If you’re lucky, we’ll put together a list and host them on the site later!

If you happen to know me at all, you’ll know that one of my biggest passions is that for four-legged creatures. That’s why when I heard about HubSpot‘s Inside Sales for Charity event to benefit NEADS (National Education for Assistant Dog Services(also known as Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans)), my little heart exploded with joy.

On Tuesday March 6th from 3:30 to 6 pm, HubSpot is partnering with Green Leads to bring the inside sales community together in an effort to raise $10,000 for NEADS through their phone-a-thon. The cause is a good one folks; and 100% of the donations brought in go directly towards sponsoring a service dog for those in need. Now, knowing BU and the amazing talent our university harnesses, I absolutely believe that anyone who registers for the event can be the all star who not only raises money for this great cause, but who also takes home the iPad (Oh wait did I forget to mention there are prizes?! iPads and Apple TV’s oh my!).

Look at that upstanding canine! (see what I did there)

In addition to using your skills to give back, it is also an awesome networking event that gives you the opportunity to rub shoulders with the HubSpot celebs (I’m looking at you, graduating, frantic, job-searching seniors).

With two hours of your time, you have the opportunity to have an incredible impact on someone’s quality of life, in addition to showing off those sales skills you’ve garnered over the years. And with free pizza, beer, and dogs, I don’t think I need to say a word more to convince you to register.